Review: Melissa Errico is the Ultimate Femme, Fatale or Otherwise, in OUT OF THE DARK: THE FILM NOIR PROJECT at Feinstein's

It was a day of celebration yesterday, as Melissa Errico released a new album and opened a new show, a companion piece to the album, both titled OUT OF THE DARK: THE FILM NOIR PROJECT. Melissa Errico was doing her fair share of the celebrating, but the true jubilation was coming directly from the fans, whether those listening to the cd or those at the live performance at 54 Below - and anyone who didn't make it to opening night should click HERE and reserve seats for tonight's show, purported to be the closing night but, with a presentation like this, there can be no doubt that Out of the Dark: The Film Noir Project will be extended repeatedly and booked into every cabaret, concert, and club venue around the world looking for the highest quality entertainment. This is not hyperbole, it is not exaggeration, and it is certainly subjective (especially since the quality of each of Ms. Errico's shows goes above and beyond the call of duty) but this writer believes that, with Out of the Dark, Melissa Errico has reached new heights.

Out of the Dark is seventy-five minutes of exemplary musical storytelling. Dressed head to toe in old Hollywood glamor, all in shimmery black with a slash of the reddest lipstick on earth, Errico embodies every bit of Laura, Gilda, Mrs. Dietrichson, and Slim Browning. Immaculately coiffed, with one raised eyebrow and slender-manicured nails, Melissa stands stock-still at her microphone, filling the air with unimpeachable, breathtaking and beautiful vocals, all the while telling the tale of each tune with nuanced phrasing and physicality designed as a tactile representation of excess within control. Between the famous songs from films like "Jennifer" and musicals like "City of Angels," Ms. Errico glides effortlessly back and forth between historical facts that one suspects she did not need to research, already having them in her mind, and personal anecdotes the like of which serve as the bedrock for every Melissa Errico performance. The facts are fascinating and the extemporary is exciting, indeed, every moment of Out of the Dark is fascinating and exciting, not to mention a festival of fastidiously prepared musical excellence. Errico sounds like a billion bucks, landing on every perfect pitch with unfathomable technique, both vocally and thespianically, particularly when singing the songs of David Raskin ("The Bad and The Beautiful," with Dory Previn) and the words of Adam Gopnik ("On Vit, On Aime," with Peter Foley) but the highlights, for this writer, were Melissa's opulent performance of "Haunted Heart," a gorgeous extended version of "Shadows and Light" (from the album), and the best "Blame it on My Youth" I think I have ever heard, in my life. One song after another, Melissa Errico had the full Feinstein's house sighing, crying, cheering, and melting in their seats... or laughing, laughing, laughing.

There are those who say funny things. Those funny things were written to be funny things. When those funny things are said, people listening will laugh (one hopes). There are those who say things funny. You could give those people a medical journal, perhaps a shopping list, or an ingredient label, and, saying them, those people will make you laugh. Melissa Errico is one of those rare people who is both someone who says funny things, and someone who says things funny, and when this quality is combined with the serious approach that she takes toward her intellectual pursuits (the lady is, clearly, one of the smartest people walking this green Earth), one of her shows is rendered more than a concert, a cabaret, or club act - it is a three-act play, a three-ring circus, and more than that, it is a happening. That is one of the reasons Ms. Errico's shows always sell out: each performance is completely new, based on who is in the audience to share conversation with her, what, from the day's news, has come up to the stage with her, and what wondrous thoughts might enter her glorious mind while she is on the stage, acting as conduit to the story crafted by the writers whose work she is presenting. For, even as one of the entertainment industry's greatest talents, Melissa Errico is an acting vessel for the stories, she is an actor, a storyteller, a pundit, a philosopher, a teacher, a guide, and she stands on the stage, arms outstretched, ready to take the audience by the hand and lead them into a wonderland of wisdom, wit, and purest adventure.

That's what is to be found at 54 Below this weekend - Melissa in Wonderland. I cannot with more conviction encourage everyone to visit her there, for it is wonderful.

The OUT OF THE DARK Musical Direction is by the ingenious Tedd Firth, whose skills on the piano are superhuman. The extraordinary Out of the Dark band are Eric Halvorson on drums, David Mann on saxophone, Scott Wendholt on trumpet and muted trumpet, the legendary Russell Malone on guitar, David Finck on bass, and they are worth the ticket price.

Find great shows to see at the 54 Below website HERE.

Visit the Melissa Errico website HERE.

Melissa Errico gets a five out of five microphones rating for performing her entire show without the use of a lyric sheet, tablet, or music stand.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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